It would appear that RD is using religion as a corporate organising tool in Papua New Guinea. Not only does the company claim to be motivated by religion but their main mouthpiece often quoted in local media is a Pastor.
It would appear to a partial observer that The Church is being used by the company in order to 'convert pagans' through the benefit of work and development.
Nothing is mentioned by our good Pastor of the huge profits generated by the Rivera family. Millions of dollars of Profit$ falling into the hands of a capitalist family is apparently OK by him.
Workers at Siar and Vidar have commented that members of the Pentecostal Movement have been used by RD to 'spy' on workers. Religious instruction at Vidar occurs every week on company premises for half an hour. Workers are allowed to attend the sessions that are led by Baptists and the Pentecostal Church.
Post Courier, February 14 2003.
FULL PAGE ADVERTORIAL PROMOTING NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Pr. Romeo B. Degolacion
The popular RD Tuna Company in Madang is in the process of expanding its perimeters to cater for further developments in the company.
It has been the vision of the government that development and expansion ensures that PNG's resources are utilized in a sustainable manner.
RD has shown its determination and commitment to this nation and its economy by indigenously financing RD's huge expansion projects for this year.
Firstly, the company is upgrading its existing 600 Metric Tonne Cold Storage to 2,000 Metric Tonne capacity in Vidar Wharf, North Coast Road of Madang Province. This expected additional capacity that cost $1.4 million US Dollars makes this Clod Storage as the biggest in the South Pacific.
The migratory aspect of tuna reprieving in the conducive waters of PNG for a season encouraged RD Fishing Expansion program to support the increasing capacity of RD Tuna Canners an other long liner operators. Once this project starts and be operational, it will add to the thriving economic activities of Madang, generate employment and other spin-off activities for the surrounding communities.
The target date of completion in June and start of its operation by July will need 200 workers in addition to its more than 100 workforce. Secondly, a 200 Metric-tonne Tuna Canning Plant with a projected cost of 50 Million Kina is expected to start its construction in the 3rd quarter of this year. It will be strategically build within the proposed Marine Economic Zone in Vidar Plantation, Norst Coast of Madang.
Executive Vice President Mr. Ritche C. Rivera is excited to see an additional workforce of 4,000-5,000 for this new cannery, generate more foreign exchange, and a potential recognition of PNG as a Leading Tuna Exporter in the future.
"With this expansion growth and the increase demand in cannery, production capacity and fish catch production, RD Group fully determine to push through this project subject to the government capability to provide additional fishing license and other package of fiscal incentives." - comment from EVP Ritche C. Rivera.
Thirdly, a 48 Hectare Rice Plantation Project is set to start next week at the 860 hectare-Vidar Plantation. An initial 5 hectares will be cultivated on a trial basis by a noted Agriculturist coming from the Philippines.
RD Group aims to make this as a model for the surrounding community and provide local consumers with PNG grown rice, and hopefully in the future, assist the country to reduce the big important of rice.
Lastly, a Japaese investor called YAMAOKA Group in partnership with RD will also put up a processing Plant in the proposed Marine Economic Zone in Vidar. The project can process 40-50 MT of Yellow Fin into a Steak which will be marketed to Japan, US, Australia and Europe. This $2 million US Dollars project will need an additional 200 workers.
Managing Director Mr. Pete C. Celso is very optimistic that the corporate values of RD in Partnership with PNG government will serve as a model for other players to maximise PNG's fishing resources in a sustainable manner and increase the socio-economic benefits ot Madang.
RD Canners P.O. Box 2113
Madang,
PNG Ph: 852 1144, 852 1359, 852 1187, 852 1392.
Fax: 852 1157, 852 1358, 852 1544
RESPONSE TO THE GOOD PASTOR: PEOPLE OF KANANAM AND SIAR VILLAGES, BEWARE OF RD'S DIRTY TRICKS
Pastor Romeo B. Degolacion boasted of an expansion of RD cannery in his advertisement (Post Courier 14th February 2003) of some of its business activities such as:
*2000 metric tonne cool storage
*200 metric tonne tuna and canning plant
*A processing plant in partnership wit Yamoaka group, Japanese investor.
*A model rice plantation
Do you believe any of these promises?
-Pastor claims, these developments will generate more employment and spin off businesses for the surrounding villages. Do you believe any of these promises?
-Pastor Romeo forgot to mention the increasing rate of social problems affecting the land owners of Kananam, instead promises us more employment that may never come our way. Do you believe any of these promises?
-Pastor Romeo forgot to mention the degrading state of environmental damage. The dying of corals, rotting bags of tuna in the bay, oil covered sea water, dying seas shells, giant clams, sea cucumbers, crayfish and the filthy beaches and sea shore. Nobody seems to care. Believe it or not.
-Pastor Romeo forgot to mention the health problems now faced by the Kananam land owners. Our animals die after eating dead tuna on the beaches, children throwing out blood after washing in the sea and drinking it, children showing symptoms of nervous break down and brain infection. Nobody seems to care, beleive it or not.
-Pastor Romeo forgot to mention other problems like, exchanging sex for fish, women having Asian babies, the outbreak of sick AIDS, smuggling out of protected wild life species. These all came about because of RD Fishing Company. Nobody seems to care. Can you now believe Reveran Romeo B Degolacion?
-Pastor Romeo forgot to formally apologise to the people of Siar, Rivo, Malamal, Matupit, and the nearby villages for the foul smell put out by the processing plant at Siar. The stinky smell can easily be treated by a multi billion dollar corporation like RD group of companies. But nobody cares, can you believe this?
-Pastor promises of a model rice plantation under the supervision of a philippino agriculturalist. Don't we have agriculturalist in Madang or Papua New Guinea for that matter? There are already too many rice plantations in Madang. Does anyone Understand any of these?
THE RD GROUP OF COMPANIES ARE HERE NOT TO DEVELOP US BUT TO DESTROY US. BE ON YOUR GUARD, THE CROCODILE IS ALREADY IN THE HOUSE.
October 2 - 2003 Faith Page - The National
Villages welcome outreach ministry By Alfredo P Hernandez
The traditionally sceptical villagers in Kananam on the outskirts of Madang are gradually turning their ears to the Words of God in an outreach ministry being carried out by a local canning company.
Pastor Romeo B. Degolacion said the number of youths and adults who join the weekly outreach ministry are increasing, as they wanted to know more about the story of the Holy Bible and learn new Gospel songs and prayers.
RD Tuna Canners launched the ministry just recently alongside a sports development program for the village youths.
Likewise, the ministry is also witnessing an increasing number of children who have enjoyed learning new games, songs and listening to the Bible story, said Pastor Degolacoin.
Kananam is a community comprising the villages of Savolon, Tavei, Molo, Kaguz, Dumusek, Ulimal, Migaspanai, Iduan Island and Kananam Bigples with over 3,000 people, 60 per cent of which are youths.
It is here where RD Tuna's new huge canning factory will soon rise just next to the existing company wharf and cannery cold storage facilities. . . .
Recently, the compay sponsored an Independence sports tournament for the Kananam youths . . .
Local Community Problems - August 2004
At a meeting last July the Kananam community leaders banned RD’s Christian ministry, headed by RD’s Pastor Romeo and his agents, into their predominantly Catholic Kananam community and area. Mr Joachim Gunan, vice chairman of Seg Samalang Dun (SSD), Kananam’s land owner company, initiated a meeting attended by a good number of RD’s pastors and Kananam village/church leaders, wherein the community leaders including Fr Charles Anau (Catholic parish priest) officially banned RD’s ministry from Kananam village, because of the destabilizing/dividing impact that the ministry was having on families and the community. Coupling with the destabilizing impact on the already strongly Catholic community of Kananam, one of RD’s pastors (middle-aged married man) had reportedly run off with a teen aged girl (a minor) all the way to Kainantu (Eastern Highlands Province), where the girl’s father and uncle managed to track him down, have him locked up by police and returned home with their daughter. Followers of the Jehovah’s Witness Church, who are strict proponents of health, hygiene and nutrition as important components of wholistic living, are actively discouraging both followers of their own religion as well as all other PNG citizens from eating RD’s canned Diana Tuna and other products because of the high concentrates of salts and other harmful chemicals in those products.
December 04 UPDATE FROM MADANG-PNG.
RD Tuna’s Pastor Romeo baptized eleven (11) converts to his/RD’s version of Christianity (RD Christians). This took place at Maiwara next to St. Fidelis Minor (Catholic) Seminary on Sunday 7th of November 04. The Event was highlighted as "Thanks giving Day."
Not all the Kananams (who are mostly followers of the Catholic version of Christianity) were happy on and about that occasion (mass baptism), and for obvious reasons.
Among the eleven converts who received baptism on that 7th of November 04 were Mr *** **** and his teen-aged daughter who, earlier this year, was a victim to one of RD’s pastors. This particular middle-age and married Pastor ran off with ***’s daughter to a small town called Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands Province. A huge feast was served as part of the celebration - a cow and a pig were slaughtered .
There are followers of RD who are still unhappy with the impacts since its establishment. These followers are revealing that such impression by RD’s Preaching Ministry is like: "Painting the external cemented grave full of maggots inside."
The conservative Catholics within the community know that 83% (1995 est) which is 66 million out of the total of 73 million odd population of Christians in Philippines are Catholics. They are here exploiting the indigenous people and at the same time Preaching Ministry splitting up the once strong-hold Kananam Catholic Community.
"Mama karim mi Katolik na bai mi dai Katolik (I was born a Catholic and I would die a Catholic)," said the village elder-Kananam.
Still after this Thanks Giving Day Pastor Romeo’s RD Ministry is never needed by 99% of the Kananam Catholics.
Wednesday 24th November 2004 ***&** (a married mother from Kananam) got herself overdosed with 10 tablets of both Chloroquine and Asprin tablets. ***&** of Dumuzeg Island-Kananam was rushed to Alexishafen Health Centre but could not manage so had to be rushed immediately to Madang General Hospital in town, PNG to the Emergency Wing for Doctors’and Nurses’attention.
***&** constantly goes with the RD Tuna Ship crews at Vidar and concerned family members got ashamed of such illicit sexual activities and got on her which caused her to be upset/unaccepted/demoralized and resorted to overdosing.
In fact, ***&** is married to a man from ??? Province . She currently has four (4) children. She got heavily involved in Prostitution with the RD Tuna Filipino crews onboard fishing vessels at the Vidar Fishing Wharf.
The climax of Prostitution caused:
- ***&** giving birth to a Filipino baby
- Unhappy marriage;
- ***&**’s husband abandons (November 2004) his well paid job living at Kananam with psychological problem;
- Unwanted pregnancy;
- Unwanted Filipino babies from those females involved;
- Landless Filipino babies;
- High Risk STD/HIV/AIDS;
and - Destroyed Cultural Values
One night last week after regular sexual encounter, one of the female from (Kananam) residing on Iduan island went onboard the RD Tuna Vessel where the crew members had dinner on the ship kitchen and later had turns in having sex, performing in all styles.
&&*, (***&**’s Aunt as well as a village woman from Kananam) bravely facilitated the activity causing a casualty to one of the Filipino crews.
&&* is now nicknamed-SHARK-by the Kananams for that.
The incident took place luckily in the presence of one of the local crews who reported this case. One of the Filipino crews who was impatient because he had no chance in the act forced the local crew to report the news. &&* is ***&**’s aunty who is well qualified after RD Tuna Canners’ establishment at Vidar regarding sex styles.
The Secret Agent who associates with RD Tuna Company and gets good pay from the company is a smart guy and feels honestly unhappy if he/she doesn’t report the RD Tuna Impact within the Sek Habour/Kananam community.
Hi ALL PASTOR ROMEO- LIAR & BOASTFUL on Tuesday 30th November 2004 at Kananam.
Pastor Romeo at a gathering in Kananam only at one local residence was he allowed this time to open his Foreign RD Tuna Bible and lies saying: "Out of the 215 Vessels owned and traveled within PNG waters, RD TUNA Fishing has only ten (10) Vessels. These ten (10) cannot do any pollution compared to 205 vessels owned by other companies are causing pollution to marine life."
One of the locals replied: "We locals are not fools we can count your foreign vessels-from Mother Boats-Carrier boats –Catcher boats because RD Tuna Fishing Vidar Wharf is our traditional marine area and we are feeling the pain of your impact.
Romeo is using the Bible as weapon and not the Prevailing Truth as expected of a better Pastor for Kananam community’s advantage."
The RD’s Principal Pastor boasts that no other companies in PNG preaches the Bible to the people/employees. According to the Kananams, RD Tuna’s Preaching Ministry hardly can measure the exploitation done to the human beings and other resources like marine area and the land.
Pastor Romeo also said RD Tuna keeps money in the country which is a clear fools lie.
The Kananams had enough of Romeo’s Preaching propaganda.
Brave Kananam thinkers are still fighting for the Land rights and social impact because of Foreign RD Tuna Company.
On Sunday 5th Dec.2004- NOBONOB LUTHERAN CHURCH WAS UNHAPPY with RD Tuna Romeo Ministry giving Promises for one (1) week to train Lutheran Mothers on Cooking and Sewing but took the whole week for Opening up their version of the Bible and Preaching which made the Nobobob Lutherans very angry.
Pastor Romeo with two (2) other national Pastors (one male and another female) tried to convince the Children and Mothers to become RD Tuna supporters because RD Tuna has 2 different settings/locations.
Nobonob community is (LAND) where RD Tuna Company established its Cannery/Processing Plant and the Kananam LAND and MARINE area is at Vidar where RD Tuna Fishing has its Wharf and Cool Storage facilities. The national woman Pastor said, "RD Tuna istap na yupela istap." (RD Tuna is here and you live). This made the Gamoi-Nobonob Lutheran Church elder (Diceon), Dobikal Bardean very upset/angry.
Why RD Tuna comes breaking the Lutheran Church at Nobonob, Madang-PNG??? As Devoted Lutheran shepherding God’s people sees it completely misleading rather than saying,"The Ultimate Being IS Therefore You Are." Where is the JUSTICE??? "BasicallyWIN-WIN Situation is definitely required at this moment and RD Tuna is Winning and Landowners are LOSING and it is correct to say RD Tuna is WORST Company in Madang and PNG," said the village elder.
The Lutheran Mothers are not happy with the RD Tuna Pastoral activities because of empty promises and nothing pleasing and fulfilling. "There is no sustainability but break ups and we the mothers are persevering the eroding impacts of RD Tuna. And One Day We will speak out," said the Nobonob Lutheran mother.
Dobikal Bardean who is the Patron of Lutheran Mama Group warned Pastor Romeo and two other national Pastors Never to see RD Tuna Ministry faces in 2005 on Lutheran Dominated Land/Community. The Lutherans Don’t Need your RICE & FISH, ICE BLOCK & BARN. We Nobonob Lutherans will chase RD Tuna Pastor Romeo with his RD Tuna AGENDA.
Links:
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=186328&messageid=1060796661&1p=1060846648&achk=1
http://lorikeet.and.com.au/RD/RDtuna.html
http://www.atuned.biz/public/ViewArticle.asp?ID=626